Trump Administration Says It's Not Forcing People Back To Work. Workers Disagree.
President Donald Trump’s labor secretary didn’t like it this week when Democrats accused him of forcing workers off unemployment insurance even if their jobs presented a risk of severe illness from the coronavirus.
“Just to be clear, we have never suggested that workers should sacrifice health for returning to work,” said Eugene Scalia, leader of the U.S. Department of Labor, at a Senate hearing on Wednesday. “We oppose them being put to that choice as well.”
But the Trump administration, in coordination with state workforce agencies, has been forcing workers to make that choice for weeks. The president has called for workers to be “warriors” for the economy, and the Labor Department is prodding them into battle as the virus continues to spread.
Congress created new rules allowing people to continue receiving unemployment benefits and not go back to work if they’re at risk of severe illness from the coronavirus due to a preexisting condition. Longstanding federal regulations for disaster benefits say people can decline a job if it poses a risk to their health or safety.
On Wednesday, Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), repeatedly asked Scalia if his department would clarify under what circumstances states should allow workers to continue receiving unemployment benefits instead of returning to work.
“I believe that most employers want to do the right thing and keep their workers safe, but they can’t do it if they don’t get clear guidance on what makes a safe workplace in the COVID era,” Wyden said. “The Department of Labor has failed completely on this issue.”
Scalia said over and over that the department wants safe workplaces, but that these matters are really up to states. “If we hear from states that that’s an area where they need further guidance, we’ll certainly have those discussions with them,” he said.
In fact, the administration has encouraged states to take a hard line, urging them to yank...
